Category: On This Day

On This Day: Bicentennial Birthday of Joseph Simeon Schooling

Posted on by spuddled

On today’s “On This Day” post, I’m taking a look at the birth (and life) of Joseph Simeon Schooling, who was born 200 years ago today in Washington County, Kentucky.1 Or it might have been 200 years and 2 months ago in Madison County, Kentucky, but we’re going to ignore that possibility.2 Joseph was my 2nd cousin 5 times removed and was the son of James A. and Nancy (Sweeney) Schooling.

On 18 July 1847 in Riggs, Missouri, he married Elizabeth Jane Hall. He was 21, and she was 20.3 Elizabeth was also my 2nd cousin 5 times removed; she was the daughter of Willis Jourdan and Nancy (Sweeney) Hall. Joseph and Elizabeth second cousins; his mother Nancy and her mother Nancy were first cousins. By 1850, Joseph and Elizabeth were living in Prairie Township, Randolph County, Missouri, along with daughters Nancy Elizabeth, 2; and Lucy Margaret, 3 months. Joseph was a farmer with property worth $300.4 Ten years later, the family was still in Prairie Township, though Joseph’s property value had increased to $1250. The family size had increased as well; Nancy and “Margaret” had now been joined by Jeremiah William, 7, and Ida Callaway, 1.5

I have not yet located the family in the 1870 census, but by 1880 they had relocated to Bourbon Township in Boone County, Missouri. Here (because the 1880 census asks the question) we learn that Joseph is unable to write. The household now consists of Joseph, 53; Elizabeth, inexplicably only 50; Lucy, 28; Joseph, 19; Daniel Harvey, 14; and Henry Walker, 5. Oddly (though not unheard of in census records), Daniel is both working, presumably for his father, as a farm laborer while also going to school, but is also listed as being unable to write.6

In addition to the seven children who appear in the various census records, Joseph and Elizabeth had had three children who died young. Mary Ellen Schooling was born 5 July 1854 and died 8 August 1859. James Willis Schooling was born 6 March 1857 and died 21 February 1858. Martha Catherine Schooling was born 30 January 1864 and died 27 August 1866. All three are buried at Union Church Cemetery in Riggs.7 Joseph would die on 7 July 1897 in Sturgeon, Missouri and is also buried at Union Church Cemetery.

Though I do not have any photos of Joseph or his family, I was able to locate some official records, including land records where both Joseph and Elizabeth made their marks; apparently Elizabeth was also unable to write, although this wasn’t noted in the census record.8 In this particular deed (one of several I found), Joseph and Elizabeth sold three lots in the town of Centralia, Missouri, to J. M. Sholck for $125.

Joseph’s widow Elizabeth would outlive him by more than sixteen years, dying 27 February 1914 in Sturgeon. Missouri began to require the filing of death certificates in 1910, so we know that Elizabeth died of pneumonia and bronchitis and had been ill for three days.9

Of the seven children who survived long enough to appear in a census record, all would outlive both parents. The youngest of these, Henry, died first, at age 41 in 1915. Those same post-1910 death records tell us a sad story: Henry of a gunshot wound to the chest, which a coroner’s verdict determined to be a suicide. A newspaper article about Henry’s death provides more details, but I might save that one for or next “Morbid Curiosity” entry. Because it’s pretty weird. Lucy lived until 1919, dying at age 69. Joseph was 75 when he died in 1936, and Daniel died at age 76 in 1942. Eldest child Nancy died one hundred years ago this July at age 77, and Jeremiah lived until 1939, dying at 87. Child #6, Ida Callaway, was the last surviving Schooling family member. She died 7 February 1951 in Clio, Iowa, at age 91. Ida’s own daughter, Jessie, lived to be 95, dying in 1984.

  1. Moses Sweeney Descendants ↩︎
  2. Boone County, Missouri, Cemetery Index, 1800-1965, accessed; 24 October 2019; Simeon G. Schooling. ↩︎
  3. Find-a-Grave Website ↩︎
  4. 1850 Census ↩︎
  5. 1860 Census ↩︎
  6. 1880 Census ↩︎
  7. Moses Sweeney Descendants ↩︎
  8. “Columbia, Boone, Missouri, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39L-G99G-K?view=explore : May 21, 2026), image 251 of 669; .
    Image Group Number: 008483753 ↩︎
  9. Missouri, Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1971, , Elizabeth Jane Schooling, 27 February 1914; online images, State of Missouri, Missouri Digital Heritage (https://s1.sos.mo.gov : online 10 April 2018). ↩︎

On This Day: Swift-McDonald Wedding

Posted on by spuddled

Our next recurring theme is a return to an old one. All through 2024, my posts centered on events that had taken place on that same date in earlier years. So today we’re taking a look at the wedding of Martha Harriett McDonald, my second cousin five times removed, to Frank Swift. As an aside, it was also on this day in in 1883 that my great-grandfather, Charles William Montgomery, married Laura Maud Walker in a double wedding ceremony in Richland County, Illinois, in which his sister, Hattie F., married Martin V. West.

First, a little background on Martha. Born 15 August 1848 in Mackville, Washington County, Kentucky, she was the twelfth child of James and Martha Shepherd (Peter) McDonald.1 Her mother was 47 when she was born, and her oldest sibling was 28. In 1850 the family was enumerated in Washington County and consisted of James, 52, a farmer with real estate valued at $5520; “Patsy,” 50; Dewitt, 21; M. J., 19; Marcus, 16; Joseph, 14; Josephine, 12; Maria, 10; Alice, 8; and Martha, 2.2 Older siblings Richard, Milly, Martin, and James had either left home already or, in the case of Martin, died in infancy.

Sometime before 1860 the family moved to California. In that year they were enumerated in Sacramento.3 James died five years later and is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park in Colma, having been moved there from the Masonic Cemetery in San Francisco sometime in the 1940s.4 Another five years after that, on 22 February 1870, Martha married Frank Swift at the home of her brother, M. J. McDonald, in San Francisco; she was 21, and he was 22.

The San Francisco Call Bulletin; 25 February 1870, pg. 3

I’m tempted to leave the story there with a happy wedding, and the attendance of both newlyweds at a St. Patrick’s Day Ball in Sacramento a month later.5 But instead I’ll move on to sadder things. Frank and Martha would have two children, both of whom died young. Jasper McDonald Swift was born 18 May 1871 in Sacramento and died 21 September 1874. Florence Swift was born 23 January 1873 and died in May 1877. Of cold consolation is the fact that Martha did not have to experience either loss; she herself died on 1 June 1874 in San Francisco, aged 25. And Frank predeceased Florence, dying on 6 January 1877, about four months before his daughter. Funerals for both Jasper and Martha were held from the family residence at 534 Ellis Street, San Francisco. A history of the McDonald family references Martha’s death “in her child-bed,” suggesting she may have been expecting a third child in 1874 and died of complications.6 Causes of death for the rest of the family remain a mystery. The family history also refers to Frank as a “handsome, successful, and popular young man.” Corroborating this account is the fact that when his will was probated, his estate was valued at $80,000.7 This would be worth roughly $2 million today.

  1. J. Harvey Sweeney, Jr., Moses Sweeney Descendants (n.p: 2006, n.d). ↩︎
  2. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Washington, Kentucky; Roll: 221; Page: 154a ↩︎
  3. The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Sacramento Ward 4, Sacramento, California; Roll: M653_63; Page: 562; Family History Library Film: 803063 ↩︎
  4. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120527749/james-mcdonald: accessed February 21, 2026), memorial page for Col James McDonald (16 Dec 1797–16 Mar 1865), Find a Grave Memorial ID 120527749, citing Woodlawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA; Maintained by Nancy Farmer (contributor 49834495). ↩︎
  5. The Sacramento Bee, 19 March 1870, pg. 2 ↩︎
  6. Supplement No. 1 to Edition B of the Macdonald Genealogy. Containing Records of the Descendants of Jesse Peter, One of the Pioneer Settlers Near Mackville, Washington County, Kentucky; Together With A Few Remarks on the Early History of the Peter Family, and Whatever Other Information of Value Concerning This Branch of the Name Could Be Collected Up to Feb. 25, 1880; Author: McDonald, Frank V. (Frank Virgil), 1852-1897 ↩︎
  7. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144482560/frank-swift: accessed February 21, 2026), memorial page for Frank Swift (30 Oct 1847–6 Jan 1877), Find a Grave Memorial ID 144482560, citing Woodlawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA; Maintained by Douglas Robinson (contributor 46999364). ↩︎
B Is for…Burial

B Is for…Burial

Posted on by spuddled

I thought I’d dive back into the “On This Day” prompt idea today, as well as fulfilling the alphabetical theme. So today we’re looking at Martin Van Buren Davis, my second cousin 5 times removed, who was buried on this this in 1927. Born 20 September 1840 in Harrison County, (later West) Virginia, his parents were Nathan Gifford and Mary Ann (Davis) Davis. Nathan and Mary Ann were first cousins once removed. He was enumerated with them in 1850 and 1860 in Doddridge County.1 2

On 1 November 1866 in Doddridge County, Martin married his second cousin, Phedora Bonnell. It seems no one could figure out for sure how to spell Phedora’s name. It appears with various spellings throughout the records in which she appears: Phedor, Theadore, Fedora, Phedora, Phedorah, Theadora, Fadorah, and Phedara. She’s also listed alternately as Phedora Bonnell and Phedora Davis.3

From 1870-1920 Martin and what’s-her-name were enumerated in Grant, Doddridge County, West Virginia. The couple had nine children: Mabel, Isabel, Cora, Edith, Gifford Nathan, Elsie, Edward, Guy, and Elizabeth. Mabel and Isabel both died in 1873. Edith died in 1901 at the age of 29, after which her widower (a second cousin once removed) married her older sister, Cora. Cora herself only lived to age 44.4 5 6 7 8 9

On 15 August 1921, Phedora died of paralysis and was buried the following day in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Salem, West Virginia. Martin survived her by six years, dying on 12 July 1927 of indigestion. He was buried 13 July 1927 in the Odd Fellows Cemetery.10

Martin Van Buren Davis Death Certificate, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History
Copyright 2021. All Rights Reserved.
  1. 1860 Census (n.p: www.ancestry.com, n.d). ↩︎
  2. 1850 Census (n.p: www.ancestry.com, n.d). ↩︎
  3. West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia Vital Research Records. ↩︎
  4. 1870 Census. ↩︎
  5. FamilyHistory Search and/or www.ancestry.com, 1880 Census. ↩︎
  6. 1900 Census. ↩︎
  7. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  8. 1920 Census. ↩︎
  9. www.findagrave.com, www.findagrave.com. ↩︎
  10. West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia Vital Research Records. ↩︎
52 Weeks…and Counting

52 Weeks…and Counting

Posted on by spuddled

It’s official – I managed to post something every week in 2024. I’m almost afraid of jinxing it, but I hope to manage another 52 weeks next year, though with my new alphabetical organizational scheme rather than this year’s “on this day” theme. Perhaps all the typing is why my “o” key is giving me difficulties.

So, one last time for 2024, we commemorate a genealogical anniversary. On this day in 1675, my 10G-grandfather, Georg Noll, died in Adelsheim, Germany. His parents were Balthas and Anna (Guldin) Noll, and he was likely born in late November/early December 1596, as he was baptized on 9 December.

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61023/1184933-00255/5804878

On 6 February 1621 Georg married Agnes Wegner in Adelsheim. Their son Martin, my 9G-grandfather, was born about 1628 in Ellmendingen, Germany. It appears Georg’s first wife died sometime before 1639, as in that year he married Catharina Schweikard on 12 May in Adelsheim. Georg’s son Martin died in 1660, around the same time his (Martin’s) daughter Maria Jacobe Nolte was born. Maria’s mother was Barbara Mutschler.

Georg himself lived another 15 years, dying 29 December 1675 in Adelsheim, aged (probably) 79. Maria Jacobe Nolte would marry Hans Jacob Ratz and give birth to Johann Jacob Ratz. Johann Jacob would marry Maria Barbara Beck in 1718, and their son Hans Ratz was born in 1724. Hans and his wife Anna Maria Fuess had a son Sebastian, born in 1754. Sebastian married Anne Marie Schaubhut, who gave birth to their daughter Anna Maria Raz in 1786. Anna Maria, in turn, married Johannes Demler; their son Johan Demler was born in 1816, married Catherine Maria Reser in 1845, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1864.

In the Bleak Midwinter: the Baptism of Mathilde Lutz

In the Bleak Midwinter: the Baptism of Mathilde Lutz

Posted on by spuddled

On this day in 1872, my second cousin 4 times removed, Mathilde Lutz, was baptized in Rheineck, Switzerland. She was 10 days old. She was the daughter of Johannes “Hans” and Mathilde Salome (Kilchmann) Lutz. Hans’s grandparents were Laurenz and Catharina (Niederer) Egger, my 5G-grandparents.

Mathilde’s mother died in 1880 when she was only 31; Mathilde was seven. Not much is known about the rest of her childhood, but on 4 September 1902 (also in Rheineck), she married Jakob Sprenger, five years her junior. Jakob and Mathilde had a son, Hugo, born about 1911. In a sad parallel to her mother’s life, Mathilde would not live to see her son reach adulthood. She died on 8 July 1924 at age 51 when Hugo was about 13. Hugo would only outlive his mother by four years, dying on 29 December 1928.

“Schweiz, Katholische und Reformiert Kirchenbücher, 1418-1996”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:66V6-Z1SB : Mon Mar 11 01:03:12 UTC 2024), Entry for Joh Georg Hunkler and Joh Hunkler, 9 Sep 1862.
Grandpa Martin…Maybe: The Death of Martin Heppler

Grandpa Martin…Maybe: The Death of Martin Heppler

Posted on by spuddled

On this day, 198 years ago, Martin Heppler died. In January 2019 I found a pedigree on FamilySearch, and according to this document, Martin Heppler was the father of Maria Heppler, born in Öfingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, who married Johann Jacob Reser and was the mother of Catherine Maria Reser, wife of Johan Demler.

Now when I look at this pedigree, though, Maria Heppler appears as the daughter of Johann Michael Heppler instead of Martin. Did I mess up in 2019, or has the individual who maintains this pedigree uncovered new information? Further complicating things is the fact that while there are other records showing a (different?) Maria Heppler’s birth records in Öfingen and indicating she is the daughter of a Martin Heppler and Agnesa Woelflin, this Maria Heppler is listed as the wife of Matthaeus Haller, not Johann Jacob Reser.

Württemberg, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-1985

So while Martin Heppler did die on this day in 1826, he might or might not have been my five-times-great-grandfather. I think I might need to go back to the drawing board on this one!

I will note that this is my 50th consecutive week posting here. Wonders never cease. For 2025 I will be taking two consecutive trips through the alphabet for my weekly themes. I have all my themes identified for the year – but not necessarily which family members I’ll choose to fit each one. I hope it will be a fun and varied adventure through the pages of our family history. But first…Apoplexy, anyone?

Little Sister Lost: the Death of Gloria Blanche Montgomery

Little Sister Lost: the Death of Gloria Blanche Montgomery

Posted on by spuddled

Today is the 74th anniversary of the death of my aunt, Gloria Blanche Montgomery. She was born 9 June 1945 in Caldwell, Idaho at Memorial Park Hospital, the tenth child of my grandparents, Lawrence and Blanche (Wilson) Montgomery, though technically the eighth to whom my grandmother gave birth, as aunts Flo and Irene were born of Grandpa’s first marriage.

The Idaho Statesman, 10 June 1945

Gloria was three years younger than Dad. We have one portrait of just the two of them together, as well as a handful of other photos of Gloria, but I have yet to scan that those in. I’ll be sure to add them to my scanning project. Gloria does appear as the youngest child in the Montgomery family portrait I always found so intriguing when I was little. Among other things, Grandma is wearing an amazing hat.

Back row: Marvin, Gene, Morris, Flo, Irene, Ted, Myrtle
Front row: Deanna, Blanche, Gloria, Lawrence, Bill

Gloria was enumerated in the 1950 census at 201 Freeport in Caldwell. Living there at the time were Grandpa (48 and a carpenter engaged in “building – commercial construction”), Grandma (41), and 8 of the Montgomery children: Morris, 16; Marvin, 14; William, 12; Deanna, 10; Alwin E. (Gene), 9; Theodore, 8; Gloria, 4; and Linda, born in January 1950.

Soon after this April 1950 census enumeration Gloria became ill (her death certificate indicates she had been ill for only four months, though her obituary indicated her illness began in May), and she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At one point she was taken to a hospital in Portland for treatment, but on 8 December 1950, at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, Gloria passed away. I often wondered whether more could have been done for Gloria if more advanced treatments had been available, but having seen her death certificate and the the more specific diagnosis of glioblastoma, it’s possible the end result might have been the same. According to The Brain Tumor Charity, even now only 25% of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma survive more than one year, and only 5% survive more than five years.

Gloria’s obituary appeared in The Idaho Statesman on 10 December 1950. It noted her funeral was to be held the following day, and that she would be buried in Caldwell’s Canyon Hill Cemetery. She was buried in what is familiarly known as the “Babyland” section of Canyon Hill Cemetery. It was apparently a number of years before the family could afford a grave for Gloria, but by the time I was little it seemed the grave had always been there. We lived only one alfalfa field over from the cemetery and used to roam through it often, and we never failed to remember Gloria and all our other lost loved ones on Memorial Day with a Mason jar full of irises and peonies.

Another Sad Tale: the Accidental Death of Reuel Babcock

Another Sad Tale: the Accidental Death of Reuel Babcock

Posted on by spuddled

This week I’m bringing you another terrible story, this one concerning the death of my fourth cousin 4 times removed, Reuel (or Ruel) U. Babcock, who died when he was two years old. Reuel was the son of John Hill and Willametta Jane (Platts) Babcock and was born on 6 August 1874 in Farina, Fayette County, Illinois. His maternal grandmother came from the Seventh Day Baptist line of Davises. His father served in the 8th Regiment, Iowa, Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War.

John and Willametta were married on 8 April 1871 in Welton, Iowa, and had a total of four children, two daughters and two sons. Ethel, born in 1872 in Welton, lived until 1957; Eleanor, born in 1878, lived until 1948. Sadly, Reuel’s younger brother Royal, born three months before Reuel’s death, would also die in childhood, in 1882 at age five. Eleanor was born in North Loup, Nebraska, and this is where the remaining family members were enumerated in the 1880 census. In 1900 John, Willametta, and Eleanor were enumerated in Milton, Wisconsin. John and “Metta” were still in Milton in 1910 and 1920. John died in Milton in 1926; in 1930 Metta was living on her own, still in Milton, and she died there in 1936.

The Seventh Day Baptist newsletter, The Sabbath Recorder, provides us the sad but succinct account of Reuel’s death. It notes simply that he died in Farina, Illinois, on 1 December 1876 of “accidental scalding” at the age of 2 years, 3 months, and 25 days. Reuel was buried in the Farina Cemetery.

Find a Grave Memorial #102761733

I’ve found no additional details to explain exactly what happened to Reuel or to his brother Royal. John and Metta do make an appearance in the North Loup Loyalist in 1921 in a commemoration of their golden wedding anniversary. This article notes that they were married at the end of a Sabbath morning service, and that John’s sister Lottie was married at the same time, to Mr. A. L. Clarke. It further notes that in their later years they were affectionately known by many as “Uncle Johnny” and “Aunt Metta.” According to the article, Metta had written a letter to the editor concerning the anniversary and stated they had received over 100 postcards and letters of congratulations. She also noted of their early years of living in North Loup, “The privations of the pioneer life did not seem hard to us. We looked forward to better times, and in God’s providence they came.”

Interrupted by Death: Merle Ellsworth Bond

Interrupted by Death: Merle Ellsworth Bond

Posted on by spuddled
Battle Creek Enquirer,
25 November 1927

This week’s tale is another sad one. Merle Ellsworth Bond, my 7th cousin twice removed, died 97 years ago today on Thanksgiving Day 1927. Merle was born on 11 January 1899 in Fayette County, Illinois. He was the third of six children born to William H. and Clara L. (Green) Bond. The Bond family were descendants of our Seventh Day Baptist Crandalls.

In the 1900 and 1910 censuses the Bond family was enumerated in La Clede, Fayette County along with numerous Crandall households. In September 1918 Merle was living in Farina, Fayette County, when he registered for the draft. It appears he served some time in the military as he is listed as having a military service record from the U.S. Veterans Administration. He also attended Milton College (a Seventh Day Baptist institution) for one semester. By 1920 Merle was listed as a lodger at a sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Seven years later Merle would tragically meet his death. Between 1920 and 1927 he would spend his summers living and working in Battle Creek but in March 1927 he made the move permanent. Since that time he had been working for Leona Miller, a florist, and was learning “the florist trade.” Shortly before his death he transferred from working for Mrs. Miller at Urbandale to living and working at a greenhouse on Waubascon Lake Road. In September 1927 Merle and a friend Paul Resser, also from Battle Creek and also a Seventh Day Baptist, attended the annual conference of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Two months later Merle and Paul Resser were on their way to Toledo on Thanksgiving morning to attend a rabbit show (the “Fur Animal Exhibit”) and to have their Thanksgiving dinner when, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer, their trip was “interrupted by death.” About 6:30 a.m., Paul drove his Nash automobile into a Michigan Electric train on US Highway 12. According to the newspaper account, the front of the car was completely demolished. Paul Resser was killed immediately; Merle Bond survived long enough to be taken to Foote Memorial Hospital in Jackson, Michigan but died five minutes after arriving.

The Enquirer article went on to note that the railroad crossing was considered one of the most dangerous between Detroit and Chicago and that all interurban trains were required to stop completely at the crossing before continuing on. Passengers and crew of the train on that day confirmed that the train had stopped as required and was only going about two miles an hour. The motorman saw the car’s lights but believed it was going to stop at the crossing; apparently Paul Resser did not see the train in time and drove directly underneath it. Merle’s brother Howard came from Ohio to take his brother’s body back to Farina, where he was buried in the Farina Cemetery.

Find a Grave Memorial #75333495
A Burial in St. Gallen: Anna Barbara Egger

A Burial in St. Gallen: Anna Barbara Egger

Posted on by spuddled

On this day in 1870, my 4G-grandaunt, Anna Barbara Egger was buried in Lutzenberg, Appenzell, Saint Gallen, Switzerland. She was the daughter of my 5G-grandparents, Laurenz and Catharina (Niederer) Egger. Anna Barbara was born sometime around 1800 or 1801. Her brother John Heinrich was also born around 1800 and was my 4G-grandfather.

The other Egger siblings were Michael, born in 1806; Laurenz, who was born and died in 1807; Anna, born in 1808; Katharina, born between 1810 and 1811; Anna Elisabeth, born in 1812; and Lorenz, who was baptized in April 1816. The Egger family highlights a Germanic naming convention in which siblings might often share the same first name but then each go by their own unique second name.

I don’t know much more about Anna Barbara, though I’ve just discovered that the Kanton St. Gallen archives website, so that may spark further investigation. According to the records I had found previously, it appears she never married. Her brother John Heinrich and his wife were the parents of Margaretha Egger, born 7 March 1841; Margaretha married John George Hunkler, and they were the parents of George John Hunkler, who left Saint Gallen for Illinois in 1883.

Photo by Albatros Aslan on Unsplash